Hi Rozy,
I know what you are going through because I also work without a round pen, in arena, with holsteiners and warmbloods (dressage and jumping) so they are already thinking "jump out!". My suggestion would be to try to make the arena "a safety zone". For instance, work on the lines or ride the horse out of the arena, then go in and mount off, remove the equipment and just relax and let the horse relax. Make the arena resting place, for a week or so. Just to get him think differently. You can also try join up on halter and long line with inside turns. Not perfect but better than nothing at all. Perhaps there is a round pen in the neighbourhood. You might consider asking to use it couple of times, just to get a good start i.e. Join up or two to get things going. Also, I would suggest that you get a dually halter and teach the horse to walk in the sweet spot (you have dually lessons here on Uni) so that your horse can see that being close to you is a good thing.
Praise him a lot, give clear cues and reward with rest the slightest try. You will see how your horse starts to chamge :)
Hope that I helped, I would also like to see what Instructors think.
Regards
Mirna

When you say "2 new forest pony" I don't understand whether it is 2 horses or a 2-year-old. If he is a 2-year-old and you are (obviously) not riding him, I would suggest doing just couple of laps on the line outside of arena and then LOT of rest inside. Do not exhauste the horse, make it "psychological" (3 laps trotting outside-3-4min resting inside). And keep sessions short (20min max).
Cheers
Mirna

Hi. I have a 22 month old colt, Kirk. We have no round pen, have never done Join up because, as I bred him he has known me since the beginning of his life. He just wants to try everything. We have so much fun, working on the ground. I know race horses are started very young but you get better longevity by waiting - less problems later in life. Start at 3, turn away until 4. Then they are mentally & physically mature enough to cope. At rising 2 you don't need Join up, you need fun. Kirk loads to die for - show him a trailer & he wants on! He moves off pressure. He is raising his little sister, now 8 months old. She has grown up so much since we lost their Mum. Study the lessons on the Uni - I see you have no accreditations. Take Monty's challenge after each lesson to build up your portfolio. When something doesn't work, stop & think it through. Your guy jumps the fence of the school, why? That's his best option. You haven't given him a reason to stay. Spend time with him, rubbing & loving him to death. Get him moving off pressure, leading willingly, backing up. Time spent on the ground now will repay you tenfold in 2 years time. When you want to work him loose, raise the height of the fence. Tie extensions to the posts & use several levels of coloured rope or electric tape. The fence is then about 7 feet high. He's less likely to try jumping out. He's more likely to come to you because the fence is different & you become his best option. As you progress through the Uni lessons you will find there is a thread running through the thinking. Don't get cross, get smart. Out-think the horse/pony. I'll leave you with that thought. I spend 2 hours a day with my little herd but only about 15 minutes of that is play with a serious note - & that's between my 2 youngsters. Keep it diverse, short & make it easy for them to succeed. You'll have a great time & so will your boy. Patience is a virtue. Cheers, Jo.

wow, glad I'm not the only one! I have been working with a rescue,very friendly,very willing but when I took him off the line he went to the left fine when we when to the right he went around one time and then over the 4 1/2 fence he went!

Rozy, have you tried a field join up? It takes a bit longer, but it does give the horse space to run which some do need, even in a round pen they run. The principles are the same, eye contact, lock on ear, smaller circles, licking and chewing and dropping head. You don't have to think so much about controlling where they turn or go, just look for the signs and follow it through.
Mel
x